Episode 13. Can’t be the only one (2)
From early in the morning, why did she come to see me? I even worried that Travell might be trying to approach me already.
However, unless there are variables, he won’t come until a week later. He must be secretly planning revenge against Raimon now.
“Is anyone in there?”
The small voice of a girl came from beyond the door.
Maryd Ryudsiehl, why did she come to see me?
She’s best friends with Jenny. By now, she should have realized that Jenny’s condition has deteriorated and must do something about it. She wouldn’t come to someone like me.
But it seemed a bit ominous to just turn her away, so I opened the door.
“Hi! I’m Maryd Ryudsiehl, a first-year student in Class A, Magic, are you Radon Crowler?”
As soon as I opened the door, a girl I’d seen a lot in games was standing there.
Compared to other students, she looked young enough to be an elementary school student due to her petite build. Long hair resembling cherry blossom petals, blue eyes, and smooth skin that seemed like it would softly slide off if touched by a droplet.
Maryd Ryudsiehl, a girl endowed with innate beauty and talent that promises a bright future, stood in front of my room.
“Can I come in?”
Since I couldn’t just keep staring at her, I let her into the room. Despite the room being plain to the point of being hideous considering her status as the heiress of the Empire’s top mage family, she happily bounced around and sat on the floor.
Her characteristic was being like a neighborhood fool, which didn’t suit her as the heiress to the Empire’s top mage family.
That’s why she’s become quite friendly with Raimon, who has an unknown status.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Really? Thank you! Thank you!”
Not just an ordinary guest, but one of the playable characters. Even just a cup of tea was a thoughtful treat.
As I watched Maryd gulping down the tea, I asked her, “What’s someone as prestigious as you doing with someone from Class C like me?”
“Oh, Class C? Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“You probably know who broke Jenny’s necklace.”
“Hmm… You’re right about that.”
Maryd should be feeling uneasy around me instead.
Why would she bother to greet me with a smile when I’m the one who caused trouble for her close friend, Jenny?
“But I got curious after seeing you clash with Jenny in the practical exam.”
Despite the awkwardness, why did she come to me… I wonder what that’s about.
“I noticed how frozen you were when Jenny hit you with her magic. So, I was thinking…”
“…”
“I want to examine the effects of Jenny’s magic on Radon’s body. Could I get your permission?”
As she said that, Maryd sent me a sparkling glance. It was an earnest yet silly expression.
I couldn’t read the depths of Maryd’s carefree demeanor.
‘But why would you need to examine my body?’
In the main story, it’s time to investigate the symptoms occurring in Jenny. It shouldn’t be delayed even a little because Travell will soon be eyeing the Snow Age and plotting.
Maryd needs to grasp the control of her abilities as quickly as possible. What does that have to do with me?
“Why me? Shouldn’t you just ask Jenny herself since it’s her magic in the first place?”
“That won’t work. Jenny wouldn’t allow it.”
Jenny sees that power as a curse. She wouldn’t agree even if asked.
If you have any sense, you wouldn’t casually make such a request.
If I can’t extract it from Jenny, then I’ll have to find someone else…
Ah, so that’s why Maryd came to me.
“Have other students experienced what happened to me?”
“Oddly enough, Jenny refrained from using that power. No one has experienced it so far since she hasn’t used it until now. But unexpectedly! She used it for the first time during this practical exam!”
In other words, I’m the first student to experience it in the Snow Age. Maryd’s expression finally began to show seriousness as she spoke about this fact.
“Not only me, but students from the same department were also greatly surprised! We don’t understand why she used a power she was so reluctant to use, but since then, the frequency of her usage has increased.”
What happens when the frequency increases? I didn’t bother asking. It was already expected without saying.
Jenny can’t control the Snow Age. That’s why the faculty keep an eye on her.
“If she accidentally uses it again, there could be a major accident! It’s not usually dangerous, but Jenny sees it as a curse herself.”
According to the main story, recently Maryd would have noticed Jenny’s abnormal symptoms. If Maryd, who has a unique sensitivity to magic, is involved, it’s entirely possible.
In the main story, it’s Mary’s job to gather clues about the power of the ice to prevent a possible runaway.
So… that means she approached me to get that clue.
Maryd came to me because I became the first student to be affected by the Snow Age… This development unfolded even though it doesn’t exist in the main story!
“So basically, you need my cooperation to help Jenny?”
“Yeah! I met Jenny yesterday, and her body was extremely cold. I need to be able to stay still and observe!”
I hesitated whether to agree or not. Anyway, Maryd can figure out control measures on her own without my help.
There’s nothing good about meddling further in the story. So, I decided to refuse…
“Wait!”
“Huh?”
“Just now, you said Jenny’s body was cold?”
“Well, yeah.”
I corrected my thoughts.
If this were the main story, Jenny shouldn’t show any symptoms for a few days.
More accurately, there wouldn’t be any noticeable signs until she mistakenly believes everything is fine.
‘Unless it’s Maryd with her innate talent, she wouldn’t have noticed those signs.’
At least at this point, she should be fine.
The sudden chilling of the body and objects freezing on touch, the malfunction of the Snow Age, doesn’t happen until several days later.
It’s too early for that event to occur.
‘But unlike the main story, what happened here? Ah, maybe it’s because her artifact was destroyed and her mental state became unstable.’
In addition to the loss of the artifact, she even used the Snow Age, which she hated so much.
With trauma stimulation doubled compared to the main story, the likelihood of her going into extreme rampage is higher than in the main story.
“Damn it…!”
I know how terrifying a rampaging Snow Age can be.
In her childhood, Jenny once accidentally used that power and froze an entire village, even in the middle of summer.
I was lucky too. If Jenny hadn’t hesitated even for a moment back then, I would’ve been frozen solid, down to my heart.
“If that freezing were to happen at the academy…”
…It would recreate a winter kingdom.
“If we just leave it alone, we’ll all be in danger, right?”
“Of course.”
When the Snow Age goes wild, an unstoppable blizzard sweeps in. The civilians around here will be at risk, and it’ll be like a game over scene where Jenny self-destructs.
Naturally, academy students like me would also be in danger.
“So you’re cooperating?”
She wants to help Jenny. Maryd’s reason for researching the Snow Age was simply that. She knew about it because she was one of the few friends she had, but she hadn’t been able to figure it out when she was younger.
Maryd isn’t just a silly character.
Once this chapter ends, Jenny will be able to control the Snow Age, all thanks to Maryd’s talent.
Of course, there was also a route to failure. If Jenny loses in that final battle, the rampage reaches its peak, and even Jenny herself freezes into pieces in a game-over scene.
Nothing is as troublesome as progressing through such a route.
“Yeah, I got it. I’ve done things that weigh on my conscience before, so I’ll cooperate for now.”
“Really?”
“I’ve made mistakes before, like spreading fake news. This is to make amends and help you.”
“Thank you! We’re friends from now on!”
It’s official now! Even I have to admit it was brilliant thinking. But I wasn’t too thrilled about her openly hugging me and considering us friends.
“I’m a student here too, after all, and I wouldn’t want the entire Academy to transform into a winter wonderland.”
“Fair enough. But I didn’t expect Radon to have such feelings. He’s been so stuck in the perception of being a con artist.”
“This time, it’s not a lie, so don’t worry. I feel bad about deceiving a little kid like you.”
The apology is genuine.
However, what’s this cold and eerie feeling?
“Huh…? What did you say?”
“What?”
“Little kid? I thought I heard something just now… You said something…”
“Oh…!”
Oh no! I forgot… I shouldn’t highlight her immaturity in her presence… Despite her appearance, she’s actually 16 years old!
It might pass once, but if it happens repeatedly, Maryd’s smile turns into madness, and she becomes a Terminator, firing magic spells everywhere.
So it’s not too late to fix it now!
“No, no! I can’t fool such a glamorous lady like you! You must have misheard.”
“Hmm… is that so?”
As the stern atmosphere gradually disappeared, Maryd returned to her original self. That was a close call.
She vehemently denies being short, to the extent that it’s explicitly stated in her game profile based on glamour standards.
“Just now, I said something about me being short…”
“Who said that? Who? Who would dare mock our dignified adult, Maryd!”
It’s better to flatter her like this.
The passive skill that activated seemed to say so.
The system naturally pops up as I spew lies.
There were several things to be careful about now that we’re going to be active together for a while. Whether I can handle Maryd’s madness in the future depends on my will.
* * * * *
There were often students who skipped morning classes.
Since there was no risk of being late from oversleeping, they could afford to wake up late and leisurely enjoy their mornings.
It was okay to spend as much time sleeping as on holidays.
Students who weren’t diligent often used this time to satisfy their need for rest.
But there were also students like Jenny Chainsilver, who didn’t skip morning training and drills.
“Ugh…!”
Even such a student like Jenny… somehow found herself still in bed even though it was already 9 o’clock. It was highly unusual for her, who usually woke up at 7 even on holidays.
However, despite sleeping for a long time, she didn’t look comfortable. Her closed eyes were tightly furrowed, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
She shook her head vigorously while muttering in her sleep, a desperate attempt to avoid the nightmare. Bound by strong determination, she couldn’t escape back to reality.
What she saw there was her own past, the tragedy when she lost her mother.
It was when the carriage was traveling along a mountain path. Suddenly, a monster appeared, and the guards were helpless against its attack.
It was a one-sided hunt by the monster, so powerful that it shouldn’t have appeared near these mountains.
With thoughts pushed aside, Jenny’s mother swung her sword to protect her daughter.
But just like the guards, she was overwhelmed by the monster’s power, and her sword shattered into pieces. With her weapon lost, all she could do was try to dodge.
The only thought in Jenny’s mind as she watched was:
– I have to help my mother.
Zing! The Snow Age activates, turning the terrain into ice. With this, the monster’s legs should freeze, immobilizing it. Then they could escape together with her mother.
Perhaps due to a lack of control, her mother’s legs froze as well. Unfortunately, the distance between the monster and her mother wasn’t that far.
With her legs completely frozen, her mother couldn’t move…
Swoosh!
Pierced by the monster’s spear, she breathed her last. If only her mother’s legs had been fine… If only she hadn’t used that power…
It was as if she had killed her own mother.
Perhaps that’s why… Even as she was being pierced, her mother was looking towards her. Her beautiful face twisted in agony, gazing directly at her as a corpse.
– Gasping!
Jenny woke up from her dream with wide eyes.
Fortunately, realizing it was just a dream, she tried to calm herself down…
“Huh?”
Her hand was cold. In the air, white mist floated.
Feeling a shiver at this fact, Jenny looked around.
Zing.
The room was frozen solid, like a freezer.
